


Flying Lessons

by Kasuchi



Category: Justice League / DC Animated Universe
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-11-27
Updated: 2010-11-27
Packaged: 2017-11-17 08:51:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/549770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kasuchi/pseuds/Kasuchi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Batman teaches Flash how to pilot the Javelin-7. Flash is clearly better suited to the ground.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Flying Lessons

**Author's Note:**

> Set like midway through S1. There's an 8-month gap in there somewhere, I dunno. Also, I'm pretty sure this has [mood whiplash](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MoodWhiplash) all over the place.

**1\. thrust**

Batman always unnerved Flash. He would have been more concerned about that except, well, _everyone_ was unnerved by Batman. It was kind of his thing. 

Still. When Batman appeared out of nowhere in front of him, Wally was pretty sure he didn't shriek like a little girl. _Probably_. No jury in the world could blame him if he had. Batman loomed before him (did he ever just stand somewhere? In theory, there was a person under that mask...) and Wally was fighting his _run, run like the wind!_ instincts as hard as he could.

"Hey, Bats! What's up?"

Batman's white cut-outs narrowed slightly. Wally had the distinct impression he was having a glare leveled at him. "You crashed the Javelin." 

"Yeah, about that - Superman just handed me the controls even though I _told_ him I don't know how to fly the thing--"

"That's going to change."

Wally shut his mouth with a click. "Oh. Cool! Who's going to be my teacher?"

"I am."

Flash gulped.

**2\. course**

"He said what?" GL looked too astonished for Flash's taste.

"That he was going to teach me how to fly the Javelin," he replied flatly, sipping...actually, he didn't know what he was sipping. "What is this?"

"Protein shake. You need more than carbs, kid."

Flash sipped thoughtfully. "Not bad."

"I know my protein shakes." GL allowed himself a smirk. "So, Batman is going to teach _you_ how to fly the Javelin." He shook his head.

Flash raised an eyebrow. "Care to share with the class?"

"Kid, you're screwed."

Flash rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the support. I'll cry on Hawkgirl's shoulder next time." He paused and grinned. "Or maybe Wondy's."

Green Lantern resisted pinching the bridge of his nose. "Something tells me that would be a bad idea."

"Either way, I already knew I was toast. Any advice?"

"Why would I be able to give you advice?"

"Ex-military guy like you has to have known a drill sergeant or two like Bats." 

"Ain't nobody like Batman, kid." He clapped Flash on the shoulder. "Let's hope he's half as patient as Superman says he is." 

Flash sighed.

**3\. crab**

"Bruce?"

"Yes, Clark?" There was more than a little sarcasm in his voice. 

Clark ignored it. "Why are you teaching Flash to fly the Javelin?"

Batman was silent for a few minutes. Clark counted his heartbeats. It was one of the things Clark appreciated about Bruce: very little surprised him. Even now, his heart rate was perfectly steady. "He's a risk," Batman said at last, folding his hands under his chin. "Since he can't fly, he's going to need to know how to pilot. Javelins don't come cheap, you know." 

Clark allowed himself a smirk. "Getting tougher to bury them into line items?"

"Hardly," Bruce drawled. "I just don't like seeing them get damaged unnecessarily."

"Ha." Clark shook his head. "What did Ma used to say? _Boys and their toys_."

"Yes, well, if you'd like to cough up a half million the next time he's forced to crash land because he doesn't know what he's doing, be my guest."

Superman held up his hands. "Relax, I think it's a good idea." He paused thoughtfully. "Just go easy on him. He's still a kid you know."

Bruce harrumphed.

**4\. wind shear**

Flash stood by the front wheel of the Javelin I in Bay 2, as Batman had commanded earlier. It would have been funny had it been anyone else. There was no way a growled "1400 hours. Bay two," wasn't comical...unless it was Batman. Flash turned his eyes heavenward. He really should have listened better to Dick's stories. 

He jogged (well, a jog _for him_ ) and whooshed into the hangar, a breeze trailing in his wake. Batman was already there, black cape covering his entire body. Had the room been even dim, Flash was sure Batman would have looked like a floating jaw. 

Suppressing a shudder at that image, he beamed. "Hey, Bats. Let's get this lesson started." 

"Fine." Batman didn't move.

"Uh, should we get in the Javelin?"

Batman was impassive. Flash worried he'd fallen asleep on his feet. Not that it had ever happened before, but. Well. It could happen, right?

"Uh, Bats?"

"Keys," Batman growled.

"Oh! Wait, jets have keys?"

Batman's eye slits narrowed.

"Okay, okay! I'll find the keys!" And he zoomed away.

Three minutes later, they all heard a sudden string of expletives over the comm.

Though no one would ever believe it - and the security footage would mysteriously go missing later that day - Bruce allowed himself a small smirk.

**5\. slip**

"Har, har, I hope you thought that was really funny."

Batman said nothing.

"Fine, let's just get this over with." 

Batman said nothing.

Flash sighed. "After you," he said, gesturing at the jet plane.

"You first."

"Suit yourself." Flash was a blur up the ramp into the jet, settled firmly into the right hand seat. 

The soft rustle of Batman's cape was the only warning he got before a dark voice beside him asked, "What do you see?"

Wally scanned the massive panel in front of him. "Lots and lots of buttons."

Even GL would have cracked a smile. "Right. Do you see an order to them?"

Flash's eyes narrowed as his gaze swept the console. "I've got this thing to steer, some gauges, and a really big window." He looked again. "These are for altitude and barometric pressure. These measure the tilt and speed of the plane." He craned to see Batman's side of the cockpit. "You're mostly navigation and communications."

Batman was quiet for a moment. Flash resisted the urge to fidget. 

Finally, he spoke. "Get out of the chair."

Flash's face fell. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No." He stood - _loomed_ was more like it and _man_ Flash was never going to get used to Batman was he? - and raised an eyebrow. Flash wasn't sure how he could read Batman's expressions when he only saw a jaw, but he didn't question it. "We're doing a ride-along."

"As in, I'm on comm and you're piloting?"

"Yes. Now get. Up." 

Flash resisted the urge to cheer.

**6\. control surface**

When Green Lantern walked into the mess hall, he was greeted with a sight he never expected to see.

"Are you _reading?_ "

Flash looked up from the incredibly thick tome in his hands. "Maybe? This thing is a total snoozefest." 

Green Lantern held out his hand and read the title aloud. " _The Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge_." He handed the book back to Flash and raised an eyebrow. "You're studying?"

"Don't even start. Batman's got me on a short leash, and I have homework."

Green Lantern tried valiantly to fight off the grin. "Homework."

"What do you think this is?" He gestured to the large book before him, laid out flat on the table. Though the pages were glossy and in full color, there was a frightening amount of text on each page. _At least there aren't supply and demand curves,_ Flash thought bitterly.

"I thought you could read at 100 pages a minute."

"Yes, but if I want to remember something I have to read at normal speeds. Otherwise, it's just short-term memory."

"...You know what that is?"

"Shut up and make me one of your protein shakes."

**7\. attitude**

Flash fell back against the seat and crossed his arms. "It's not working." 

Batman tried to ignore his instinct to slap Flash upside the head. "It will if you just take it slowly." 

"I'm the fastest man alive," he said joylessly. "I don't do slow very well."

"Well this time you're going to have to. Look, you can't learn to fly a plane in a day. Most pilots need 60 hours of flight time alone, never mind classroom hours and self-study." He paused. "You're doing fine. Now try it again." 

Flash just gaped at Batman.

Bruce tried to not to be weirded out by the expression. "Yes?"

"Not only is that the most I've heard you say at one time _ever_ , but that's possibly the nicest thing you've said to me in ten months."

"Seven, but who's counting."

"Was that a joke?"

"No."

**8\. pitch**

"Pull up slowly."

"I am, but there's too much resistance!"

"We're in outer space, there is _no resistance anywhere_."

"Tell that to your plane!"

"Pull harder!"

Flash gave a mighty tug and the plane evened out, if abruptly. "Oh, for cripes sake," he muttered, gently prying his hands from the steering column of the craft. Flash could _feel_ the blood rush back into his fingertips, their grip having cut off his circulation temporarily.

"Do it again," Batman said flatly.

"What." It wasn't even a question. Flash couldn't believe what was being asked of him.

"Do. It. Again." Each word was perfectly enunciated in what amounted to Batman's darkest voice.

The problem was, Flash was growing far too accustomed to said voice. "Can't I have a second to catch my freaking breath?"

"If you were being pursued by an enemy, you wouldn't have that time."

"Fine, but we're _not_. This is just practice." 

"Practice has to simulate reality." 

Flash snapped. "Well, the reality is that I'm about ready to have a goddamn _panic attack_ , so let up already! I'm not one of the Bat family, so back the fuck off." 

The white cutouts of Batman's eyes widened slightly. Flash turned away and rubbed his temples.

"You're aviophobic?"

"Apparently only when it's me behind the wheel. Proverbially." 

"It's okay. Take deep breaths. Do you want some water?"

Flash took a few deep breaths, feeling his heart rate slow. "Why are you being so nice to me? Most of the time you can barely tolerate me."

Batman's white cut-outs narrowed slightly. "Because. I use my fear to make me powerful. But I didn't used to." 

Flash nodded and continued to inhale and exhale in long breaths. After a few moments, he straightened. "Okay. I'm okay."

"Good. Let's try that again. Accelerate first." 

**9\. ailerons**

Flash whooshed into the hangar, a blur of red and gold. "Hey Bats! So what are we doing today? Barrel rolls? Loop-de-loops?"

"Takeoff and landing."

"Even better. Practical skills. I like that." He whooshed away, up the ramp and into the plane. Batman sighed and tried not to roll his eyes.

When Batman got into the cockpit area, Flash was running a systems check, hands blurring every few moments. 

"How do you take your coffee again?"

"Cream and thirty-seven sugars," he replied mildly, voice slightly distracted. "But today I took a full fifty. I feel _awesome_." 

"Uh-huh." Batman hauled Flash up from the chair and dumped him unceremoniously in the nav chair. "You're riding side saddle for the first half, kid. I gotta show what we're doing here."

Flash rolled his eyes and straightened out in the chair. "Please. Thrusters forward until we're clear of the hangar doors. Pull in the wheels using the hydraulics command on the console. Make sure flaps are down to limit drag and give an extra burst to the thrusters when we're a safe distance from Watchtower."

"Nice try. Watch carefully." 

Later, when the plane was landed (if angled a little strangely) and at rest in the hangar, Batman gave Flash a curt nod before parting ways with him. 

**10\. heading**

Diana and Hawkgirl weren't even fazed by the sight of Flash at a table in the mess hall, surface strewn with open books filled with diagrams of technical specs for airplanes, half-empty smoothie cups, and straw wrappers. 

"Hey Flash," greeted Hawkgirl, headed for the refrigeration unit. "How goes the flying lessons with Batman?"

Diana slid into the seat opposite Flash and rotated one of the books, leafing through the pages gently, one finger marking her starting page. "When Superman taught me to fly, he didn't have me work nearly this hard."

 _That_ caught Flash's attention. "Come again?"

Diana peered guilelessly back at him, still paging through the text. "When Superman taught me to pilot the Javelin. We just...went out and did it. He showed me every part and what to do and, well, it took a couple months tops."

Flash groaned and let his head fall onto the books. 

Hawkgirl buffed an apple on her hip. "I think you broke him, Princess."

"Oh dear, I hope not. I find him quite entertaining." 

Flash groaned again.

**11\. dihedral angle**

Flash gaped at Batman in the hangar, the Javelin large and solid behind him. "Wait, what do you mean you're letting me try on my own?"

"You need to do a solo run every now and again," Batman said calmly. Not that anything ruffled Batman. 

"But-but I'm not ready." 

Batman's cut-outs narrowed to slits. "Are you saying I don't know when someone is or is not ready to fly solo?" His voice was a gravely rumble, the kind that made criminals think they'd truly sunk into Hell.

Flash gulped, knees a little shaky. "N-no. I'll go."

"Good. I'll act as control tower." He made to turn away, but paused. "Flash. Keep calm. You'll be fine." He walked off, boots making no sound on the tile.

Flash tilted his head to the side. "Was he just...trying to reassure me?" Flash shook his head. "Focus, West." 

In the cockpit, he heard Batman over the comm. "Watchtower to Javelin-7, over."

"This is Javelin-7. Requesting clearance for takeoff, over." 

"Roger that. You're all clear, Javelin-7, over." 

Wally cut the comm and swallowed hard. Then, he taxied the Javelin-7 onto the runway and fired up the thrusters, whooshing out into the dead of space.

**12\. threshold**

Clark had never been very good at keeping up a poker face around Bruce. He surmised it had something to do with them having known each others' identities essentially from the day that they had met in that nightclub, back when Joker and Luthor had decided that partnering up was a good idea. 

So when he asked, "How are the flying lessons going?" his expression was one of open earnestness. With perhaps a touch of mischief.

Bruce, as always, was a shut book. A shut book with a chain padlocked around it. And then tossed in a safety deposit box. On Pluto. "Fine. He did his first solo run a few days ago." 

"Sounds like he's progressing really well." Clark's expression flattened. "Have you told him this."

Batman didn't react. "Not in so many words."

"Bruce. Flash isn't like the others you've trained. He's not--"

"It's fine, Clark. He's got a handle on this, and he doesn't need me to tell him how well he's doing to know it." 

Clark raised an eyebrow. 

"I'm serious."

"You're never not serious." Clark sighed. "You're sure about this?"

"Trust me." Bruce smirked. "If nothing else, I _do_ know how to read people."

"I trust you, Bruce, but I also really don't want to see our youngest member utterly demoralized."

"You're being ungenerous, and you're underestimating him. He's young, but not inexperienced." 

Clark blinked, surprised. "I...Really?"

He nodded. "He's been doing this longer than the rest of you." 

Clark resisted the urge to smirk. "But not so long as you have?"

" _No one_ has done this as long as I have." Bruce raised an eyebrow. "Relax, Clark. The kid'll be fine."

**13\. center of gravity**

Batman waited patiently in the hangar for this student. He resisted (and quite successfully) the urge to fidget or check his proverbial watch. Batman did not carry a watch; he had a device with a digital time output. (It kept the device multipurpose.)

Instead of either of those options, he counted heartbeats, shifting his arms and shoulders so that his cape fell forward and covered him entirely. 

He reached 600 when a blur of red and gold rearranged itself in front of him into Flash. He felt his cape stir around him in the blow-back.

"Sorry I'm late," the speedster offered in an oddly serious voice. "Captain Boomerang, Mirror Master, Weather Wizard, and the freaking _Reverse Flash_ decided to team up. It was really annoying. I barely managed to avoid the alien symbiotic parasite thing that they wanted to attach to my uniform so that they could remotely control me." Flash slapped a hand over his mouth. "Uh. Pretend you didn't hear that."

"Why? It makes you sound like a capable hero."

"First, ouch. I am totally a capable hero. Second, it would ruin my _image_ , which I've so carefully maintained. I know my place on the team, and it's not as the leader or the man with the plan." He beamed. "I'm the funny one, and that's okay by me." 

Batman's eyebrow rose, but he said nothing. Instead, he walked up the ramp into the Javelin. "Well, are you coming?" 

Flash jogged up the plane and fell into the right-hand pilot's seat. "So what are we working on today?"

"Just take off."

Flash shrugged and soon they were beyond the gravitational field of the Watchtower. Batman reached into his belt and pulled out a small remote with a few buttons on it. With a press and a _beep_ , he revealed an asteroid cluster. 

"What the..."

Batman smirked. "Today we're doing evasive maneuvers. Hope you skipped lunch."

**14\. stall**

"He learned evasive maneuvers in a day?"

Batman nodded silently. 

Hawkgirl whistled. "I have wings and it took me almost six months."

"Yes, but you were dodging criminals and laser blasts," Green Lantern pointed out, eyebrow raised. "Not asteroids and, well, laser blasts in a fighter plane. In space." GL turned to Batman. "I'm pretty sure that's unprecedented. You're a hell of a flight instructor."

"Or he's a very capable student," Hawkgirl pointed out. Batman remained silent. "He is the fastest man alive, right? I guess that means he can learn faster." 

"Evasive maneuvers are applied flight," Batman said smoothly. "He extrapolated his existing skills and used them."

"Kid's got a head on his shoulders. Well. I wouldn't believe it if anyone else had told me."

Hawkgirl punched him in the arm. "Be nice." 

GL winced and rubbed the spot where she'd punched him. "So what are you working on today?"

"Re-entry."

"As in, to the atmosphere?"

"Yes." He paused. "And then into the ocean."

"Like when we found Atlantis."

"Exactly."

"Okay," GL said flatly. "I'm an experienced pilot and that was one of the hardest things I've ever done. Are you insane?"

Batman smiled humorlessly. "Only a little bit."

**15\. yaw**

When Flash entered the hangar, he expected Tall, Dark, and Spooky to be there, as he always was. The problem was that Flash had started to really like the guy. When he wasn't making Flash feel entirely unnerved (of course, he did that to everybody - it was his _thing_ , like running fast was Flash's thing) he was patient, encouraging, and actually a pretty good instructor. 

But he was still Tall, Dark, and Spooky. And thoroughly frightening, especially when he appeared and disappeared at seemingly random intervals. Or materialized from the shadows. _That_ part Flash could always live without.

So the sight of Wonder Woman checking over the jet was a surprise. "Are you riding along today?"

Diana beamed and landed lightly next to him. "Actually, Batman asked me to sub in for your lesson. He's taking care of things in his home city." She tilted her head to the side. "Actually, don't you have a home city?"

He nodded. "Central City, though the Other Flash keeps track of Keystone." 

"There's another one of you?"

Flash nodded. "His costume's, ah, a little different."

She looked pensive. "Silver helmet?"

"That's the one. You've met him, I take it?"

"I did a flyover one and waved at him. I thought he was you, just in an alternate outfit."

"Diana. _None_ of us have alternate costumes."

"Lantern does. Kind of."

"His civilian garb? I don't know if that counts." 

Diana laughed. "Come on. Let's get inside. I checked the exterior. Looks like your atmospheric reentry lesson went well." 

"That had to be a two-person mission. I can't imagine doing that solo."

Her boots clicked softly against the ramp as they walked into the Javelin. "I did it once by myself. It was a harrowing experience." She settled into the navigator's chair and prepped the jet for takeoff. "Do you know what your lesson is today?"

"Something about orbits. Bats was vague on the details."

She shook her head. "Typical." She smiled reassuringly at him. "Today you're going to learn about how to use a planet's gravity to slingshot you without using a lot of fuel. It's called gravity assist."

Flash gaped at her. "Awesome."

She beamed. "It'll require some concentration, but doing this helps us conserve fuel and doesn't strain the ship's structure."

"Still awesome."

"After that, well, we might practice landing on low-gravity, low-atmosphere surfaces, such as the moon."

Flash blinked. "I get to land on the moon."

She appeared puzzled. "Was I unclear? Yes, we may land on the moon." 

He grinned, smile wide and sincere. "You are the best flight instructor ever."

**16\. camber**

"Well?"

"He has great control, and a solid feel for the craft. And he enjoys being able to pilot, I think."

"But."

Diana sighed. "He also has a need for speed."

"That seems unsurprising."

"Yes, but it also means he pushes the Javelin." She raised an eyebrow and settled a fist on her hip. "Surely you know this already."

"I do, but I wanted to hear it from someone else." Batman paused. "And don't call me Shirley."

Diana smirked and shifted her weight from one hip to the other. "Now I _know_ you've been hanging out with The Flash for too long."

**17\. elevator**

Flash wasn't sure what he was doing outside of Metropolis on a Tuesday afternoon. Not like he had a _day job_ or anything. Those evidence samples weren't going to test themselves. At least he'd left he centrifuge going; he'd come back and have something done, at least. Hopefully. Anything was better than waiting for PCR. 

He surveyed the area. It was an old Air Force base that had been decommissioned and turned into a private airport. He could see tiny biplanes in the half-closed hangar, and the runway was in decent shape. He had never had to meet Batman on-planet before; he wasn't sure what that meant.

There was a loud whooshing noise and Flash backed up a good 250 feet in under 10 seconds, watching as t he Javelin came to skidding stop on the runway, a mile down and smoking slightly. The hatch opened and Flash jogged over to greet his co-pilot.

"Nice entrance," he offered.

"Get in," Batman replied.

Comfortably settled (and buckled - safety first!) into the pilot's seat, Flash prepared for takeoff, asking Batman to radio into the local control tower. While they taxied, Flash asked, "So I'm guessing today we're working on escaping gravity?"

"At the end. First, you're going to fly at 50,000 feet for a while."

Flash was quiet for a moment. "To get used to flying in an atmosphere?"

"And so that you can log hours for an actual pilot's license."

"Oh, oka--wait, _what?_ "

"If you want your pilot's license, you'll need log sheets and various forms. The FAA is very strict."

"Pilot's. License."

"Yes." Batman paused. "What is it?"

"No offense, but I'm a _terra firma_ kind of guy."

"I saw you run over the ocean. You were racing Superman."

"Yes, but I wasn't snorkeling!" He was quiet while they paused at the end of the runway. "I'm pretty sure if I got a pilot's license, it would blow my cover." He smiled humorlessly. "My secret identity has a fear of flying, you know."

"How true is that?"

"More true than it ought to be. True enough." 

"Oh." Batman focused on the console, keeping an eye out for the go-ahead from the control tower. "You could just tell people who were curious that you decided to face your fear, get licensed." 

"I could," Flash replied neutrally.

"It's a thought." He cleared his throat. "Either way, you need to know how to deal with gravity. And how to get out of it."

"Another 4-Gs kinda day." 

"If we're lucky and you don't suck."

"Thanks, Bats."

 **18\. moment**

The sirens were going off, indicating that the ship was being pushed to its limits. Around them, the world had taken on a distinctly reddish glow.

Batman was shouting over the noise. "Watch the angle!"

"I'm trying!" Flash snapped back, voice straining with effort as he pulled as hard as he could on the steering column of the craft. There was a terrifying, lurching slowing of the plane and then they stopped. For a split second, they were suspended in the air. Flash met Batman's hard stare with his own panicked one. 

Then the ship entered freefall.

Flash was rapidly cursing under his breath, making up swear words as he went along. When he ran out, he just started reciting the periodic table of the elements, which Batman filed away for later.

"Turn on the thrusters," Batman shouted over the sound of the air.

"Are you crazy?! We're in freefall! You want us to hit the ground _faster?!_ "

"Thrusters will trigger the stabilizer. Turn on the thrusters and then flip on the autopilot."

"This thing has an autopilot?!"

"Focus!"

"Right, thrusters." Flash fought the inertia and managed to flip on the thrusters. Beside him, Batman shakily reached out and turned on the autopilot.

With a lurch, they were both pressed into their seats. After a horrifying, tense moment, the plane stopped spinning haphazardly and settled into a dizzying barrel roll.

Batman flipped off the autopilot, but the plane continue to spin in lazy circles. Below them, the reddish hue was back, and the vast expanse of blue before them was only marginally heartening. 

"The surface tension alone would kill us," Batman supplied.

"You're a real Davy Downer, you know that?"

"I've been told." 

"Okay, that was _definitely_ a joke." 

"I don't know what you're talking about. I _do_ know that if you don't do something soon, we're going to find out exactly what the tensile strength of this plane's body is." 

Flash slowed the roll of the craft, then pushed the plane into a descent. For a moment, the Earth was below them, horizon far and expansive. Then, with a careful series of flicks, the plane rotated and above them was sky. Flash raised the flaps on the wings slowly, carefully slowing down the plane while making sure their angle of attack was in the appropriate range.

When all was steady, he blew out a breath he didn't even know he was holding and slumped in the seat slightly. "That was the single worst experience of my life."

"I've been through worse."

"I hate you so much right now." 

"That means I've succeeded." Batman paused. "You handled yourself well, Flash. You didn't lose sight of what you needed to do, you made the best of an unexpected situation, and you held yourself together. Well done."

Flash gaped at him. "That's literally the most I've heard you say at one time, _ever_." 

"You're welcome," he replied archly.

"Sorry, sorry." He schooled his features. "Thank you." 

"Now try to head to the Watchtower. Again."

Flash groaned.

 **19\. flaps**

"Well, kid, it's been six months. How you feeling?"

"Like I can fly the Javelin." 

"You know what I mean."

Flash sighed and sipped another protein shake. "I dunno. It's weird. We, like, _bonded_ , you know?"

"You. Bonded with Batman."

"What? It's not that crazy, is it? We spent hours at a time in a cockpit. It had to happen."

Hawkgirl snickered.

Flash leveled a cool stare at her. "Guess I'm not the immature one today." Then he stuck his tongue out at her. 

"Real mature," Hawkgirl quipped, wings flexing open and closed. 

Flash turned back to GL. "The _point_ is that, well, I'm kind of sad. He and I usually don't get paired on missions, I'm banned from Gotham City, and Central City never has problems I can't handle. Except for that one time with Gorilla Grodd." 

"And you know how to pilot the Javelin." 

"And I know how to pilot the Javelin." He sighed and slurped the last of the shake down. "Should I write him a thank-you note?"

"No clue, kid. Maybe you should just...tell him."

Flash shook his head emphatically. "No, that's way too embarrassing, even for me."

"You realize he's probably just listening in on this conversation, right?" Hawkgirl looked a little smug to Flash.

"Shut up, no he's not." 

"It's a possibility," she retorted, hand on her hip. "You know how he is." 

"Guys, _not helping_." 

GL tried unsuccessfully to school his features. "Do you want another shake?"

Flash sighed. "Yes, please." 

**20\. roll**

Flash cleared his throat nervously. "So, uh."

Batman was silent.

"This is our last flight."

Silence.

"I just wanted to say that--"

"Asteroid."

Flash dodged smoothly. "I just wanted--"

"Satellite."

He swerved again. "I just--"

"Watchtower base."

"Oh for--!" He swerved and put them into a low Earth orbit trajectory, flipping on the autopilot as he did so. "Will you hear me out?"

Batman silently raised an eyebrow. 

Flash took a deep breath. "Look, I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to do my lessons for the last few months. I've learned a lot and while I might not get my pilot's license, I'm pretty sure you could have saved yourself the trouble by just showing me where the autopilot switch was and have been done with it. I know you would probably have rather spent time in Gotham City, and I know I haven't been the best of students this whole time, but I really am grateful that you did this and I wanted to tell you in person." He shrugged helplessly and grinned. "Plus that wouldn't fit on a thank-you card." 

Batman blinked twice and opened his mouth, then snapped it shut again. 

A beeping noise came from the comm. Batman pressed a button and the other five members grinned at the two of them. 

"What he's trying to say is 'thank you, and I'm proud of you.'" Superman supplied, a meaningful look shot Batman's way. "We all are, Flash. Congratulations."

The others clapped and cheered, and Flash felt himself blush to the roots of his fiery hair. "I'm guessing there's cake?"

They laughed good-naturedly. "Yeah, kid," GL replied. "There's cake."

"Bring her home, Flash," Batman said quietly.

Flash nodded and flipped off the autopilot. Then, with another flick, he turned on the thrusters and headed home.

**Author's Note:**

>   1. As I mentioned before, this is basically all because of Lauren. She pointed out that Batman and Flash are the only two who can't fly. She also pointed out that if Batman taught Flash how to fly the Javelin, it would be the _most amazing thing ever_. A year later, here we are. My enabler, my bestie, my rancher. I love and hate your ridiculously awesome mind in the same breath. So many plot bunnies, so little time. And me, the bitch who's gotta write 'em. But I love you anyway. ♥
>   2. The terms are all from an appendix of [aviation, aerospace, and aeronautical terms](http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Aviation,_aerospace,_and_aeronautical_terms). Honestly, this list was exceedingly useful. What did we do before Wikipedia?
>   3. Alternate title: _Standby Ticket_.
>   4. The book Flash is reading in the mess hall [is real](http://amzn.com/1560277505) and apparently a very good, very interesting book. But it's also almost 500 pages and textbook-esque.
>   5. Serious props go to [World's Finest Online](http://www.wordsfinestonline.com) for their amazing battery of screencaps, descriptions, and just generally being an amazing resource for any JLU ficwriter who wants to make for damn sure she got her canon right. You (as I did) can see various angles of the Javelin interior from the non-Unlimited series there. The descriptions I've provided here should match up fairly well with the images in their archive. I also consulted alternative shots, frames, and angles from the episodes themselves.
>   6. The entire time I was writing this, I kept thinking of the fic [Escape Artistry](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1833568/1/Escape_Artistry) by David Hines. It is awesome, and a shipper's dream. I totally think Flash and Batman could be [Heterosexual Life Partners](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HeterosexualLifePartners), but mostly they'd be a perfect comedy duo. Seriously, there's no better [straight man](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_act) than Batman in the biz, and Flash would make an awesome Comic, no pun intended.
>   7. You _can_ use a planet's gravity to essentially slingshot a craft. And it [really is called "gravity assist"](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity_assist) and has been used by NASA (and others) in the past. It's pretty cool, even if it robs the other body of momentum. That's okay though - planets are pretty massive. *rimshot*
>   8. Sorry these endnotes got so epic. D:
> 



End file.
